Whisper
by The Last Poison Apple
Summary: It's been a few months since Lily started dating James in secret, but she's quickly learning that there are some things that just can't be kept quiet for very long. One-shot with bonus drabble. Jily.
1. Whisper

**Hey guys! This was written for Being A Wallflower for the 2013 Gift Giving Extravaganza somewhere around HPFC. It was supposed to be gifted in January, but it's been really hard for me to write much at all because school's been hectic. Yeah.**

**I used the prompt _Whisper_. I really hope you like it, my dear!**

**Notes: Takes place in Lily and James' seventh year.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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James Potter, Lily was learning, was absolutely hopeless when it came to keeping quiet.

Oh, he did a fantastic job when it came to his pranks. No one ever heard a peep about those until they actually happened.

But when it came to just about everything else, though…

Lily couldn't help but feel an urge to clock him –not too hard, mind you –on the side of his head. He was the one who had wanted to keep the fact that they were going to the dance together quiet! It really wasn't fair if he decided not to restrain himself and blabbered to all his friends while she determinedly remained tight-lipped, even when Alice and Mary had made it their mission to get her another boy to go with; her silence had well convinced them that she simply didn't _have_ anyone to go with.

She couldn't very well tell them that she was going with the James Potter –they'd have her referred to Madam Pomfrey, and besides, she wanted to be able to savor the looks of shock on their faces when they saw her dancing around the Great Hall with the boy she'd sworn to hate for the last six years.

She wanted to watch their jaws drop comically when they found out that she'd been dating him for the last three months.

"So, Lily…"

_Speak of the devil –or would that be devils?_ "What is it now, Mary?" Lily asked, looking up from her charms essay. Mary and Alice were both there, and both of them were sporting similarly mischievous smiles that Lily didn't like one bit.

"Have you considered going with Roland? You know, the Ravenclaw?" Alice asked.

"Tall, smart and handsome one?" Lily returned, playing along.

"And absolutely dying for the chance to go to the dance with you," Mary supplied.

"Hm." Lily pretended to consider it for a second. "Nope, sorry."

"Oh, come on, Lils," Mary whined. "If you keep rejecting everyone we recommend, you really are going to be dateless, you know."

"I've told you, I've already got a date," Lily insisted, for what felt like the umpteenth time. "We're just keeping it under wraps, alright?"

"Who is he, your cat?" Alice muttered, dropping into the seat opposite her. Mary followed suit.

"You know full and well that Reese does not appreciate being called a 'he'," Lily said, returning her attention to her essay. "And for the last time, I'm not telling."

Mary sighed. For a while, it was quiet. The silence was soon broken, though. "Hey, I've got an idea –you could go with Potter!"

"_What_?" Lily had to consciously make an effort to sound incredulous and disgusted. "I'm not going with Potter!"

"For the last time, you're not asking Lily to the dance!"

The blanket of silence fell over the whole hall, and Lily sighed, slumping down on the table. "I give up."

James and Roland the Ravenclaw were standing toe-to-toe a little ways down the Gryffindor table, both looking equal parts defensive and ticked off. "What business is it of yours, James?"

Much to Lily's relief, James grabbed Roland by the collar and pulled him towards himself, and, rather than yelling out to the whole hall, spoke so softly into Roland's ear that no one else could hear what was being said.

_At least he has the sense to whisper,_ Lily thought, relieved.

Roland, though, laughed as James released him. "You can't be serious, mate," he said, guffawing. To her immediate dismay, Roland turned towards the crowd and sought her out with his eyes. There was an amused smile on his face. "Hey Lily! James seems to think you're dating him."

Lily had never wished as hard for anything as she wished to go invisible at that very moment.

"Well, look at that, James," Roland said loudly, smug. "Lily's so shocked, she's speechless."

"But –that's–" James looked from Roland to Lily, who sighed, but stood up anyway, rolling up her essay.

"Leave my boyfriend alone, Roland," she said, packing away her quill and ink as quickly as she could. Her cheeks were burning, and her friends' jaws had dropped. Small consolation. This really hadn't been how she wanted to go public with their relationship. "He's telling you the truth."

The whole hall was deathly silent, the whispers that had been building up disappearing in just a matter of seconds. Merlin, this was embarrassing. Even the teachers were watching.

As she hurriedly fled the Great Hall, she felt smaller than a whisper itself.

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_**Edit: There was apparently a minimum word count I forgot to hit. So, good news for you guys: I'm going to write a little bit more (the dance, maybe?) and tack it on as a bonus thing, making this a sort of two-shot. Yep.**_


	2. Bonus Drabble

**So, here's the bonus! It's more of a drabble, to be honest -it's only 308 words, which still does, however, bring this thing up to about a thousand words nicely.**

**I took the prompt _enchant_ for this one, and _whisper_ still factors in, of course.**

**I'm also going to submit this for week 6 of the 52 Weeks of Writing competition (prompt: _blurred_) because it actually fits.**

**So, yeah. I hope you enjoy (especially Being A Wallflower, to whom this is dedicated to).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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Lily couldn't catch her breath as James twirled her around on the dance floor.

She let out a breathless laugh –just one of the many that she's let out tonight –as she span right back into James' arms.

"Have I told you how beautiful you are tonight?" James asked, in the pause between the end of one song and the beginning of the next.

"I believe so," Lily replied, "but I wouldn't mind hearing it again."

James laughed, and Lily found herself caught up in the sound. It was so enchanting –no, _he_ was so enchanting, and Lily found herself riveted. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Alice and Mary staring; even though they'd gone public with their relationship a week before, no one had been able to catch them together until now. She had James' invisibility cloak to thank for that.

"You're beautiful," James whispered in her ear.

She felt a smile stretch across her face, and as the next song started and he began leading her around the dance floor once more, she laughed. "So are you," she returned, grinning broadly.

His eyes caught hers, and they held them in a way that's almost magic. He wore a playful smile, and Lily found herself breathless and enchanted by the boy she'd hated for the past six years once more.

He leaned down to kiss her, and though it was short, it was enough to complete the moment for Lily.

James led the transition between the kiss and the rest of the dance fluidly –when they broke apart, they were already spinning and gliding across the dance floor again, and Lily couldn't even tell where the first action blurred into the next.

As the song ended and James twirled Lily back into his arms, he whispered in her ear, "Not as beautiful as you."


End file.
